Building construction



March 21, 1939. E. B. WHITE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 26, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet l 4 /14 wwwwww w/fiw March 21, 1939. E. B wHlTE I 2,151,399

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 26, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 fi 'aare 4 March 21, 1939. E, B, HW 2,151,399

' BUILDING CONSTRUCTION WWW TOR.

Patented Mar. 21 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

My invention is concerned with a fireproof monolithic building construction, and is designed to produce a novel structure, preferably formed by a novel method, which structure shall embody 5 a minimum of concrete or similar plastic material, with a minimum of reenforcing material, and at a minimum expense, and without themcessity of employing form work or shoring.

To this end, I employ for the beam members of a floor, Wall or roof, channels formed of sheet metal, and adapted to be fabricated to the desired lengths in the shop, and preferably having the re-enforcing rod or rods secured near the bottom thereof at that time. These beam members as so far described are of themselves of suffioient strength to support the workmen in placing them and the floor slabs which they support, and which are finally connected thereto as hereinafter described.

For the flooring, walls, or roof, I preferably employ thin precast slabs of concrete or some similar plastic material, which have re-enforci'ng material, preferably composed of sheets of expanded metal, or welded steel wire mesh, for the purpose hereinafter described. These are secured on or to the beams by placing the expanded metal or other reinforcing material projecting from the ends of the slabs in the hollows of the channels, and pouring concrete or some similar material into the channels, thereby binding the slabs to the concrete beams, which are further re-enforced by the expanded metal of the slabs in addition to the reenforcing'rods primaily employed for that purpose. While the sheet metal channels covering them furnish some additional reenforcement, their primary function is that of forming the molds for the beams since the reenforced beams when hardened are strong enough to carry any load to which they may be subjected Without the 40 help of the channels, which might become useless as a reeniorcement in the event of a fire which should reach and distort them.

To illustrate my invention'I annex hereto three sheets of drawings in which the same reference characters are used to designate the identical parts in all the figures of which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of portion of a structure employing my invention and with various portions thereof broken away;

Fig. 2 is a plan View on a large scale of a portion of a, floor employing my invention;

Fig. 3 is a view in section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view in section of a wall construction embodying my invention as seen on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, but on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail in section as seen on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail in section as seen 5 on the line 6-6"of Fig. 1.

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of a'clip employed in wall structures but on an enlarged scale as compared with'Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail in section through a dowel hole showing a reinforcing clip preferably located thereon; and

Fig. 9 shows sections of various ornamental forms of the hollow channel section.

As heretofore constructed, reinforced concrete 16 buildings and especially the floors thereof, have usually been composed of comparatively thin sheets or slabs of reinforced concrete strengthened by employing reinforced concrete beams beneath the slabs and integral therewith, and of such size and solocated as might be necessary to give the desired strength for the particular load the floor is expected to sustain.

To make these, removable forms and form work supported by shorting had to be employed, all of which had to be removed after the concrete had set, all of which involved extra expense and delay.

In carrying out my invention in its preferred manner, in place of the beams above referred to, I employ channels ll] of sheet metal, possibly as thin as of aninch, and of the shape shown and with the inwardly projecting flanges Ill attheir open sides. These are supported at their ends upon the foundations 2 l, and upon intermediate girders 20, if the size of the building is such 5 as to require their use. They Will contain the longitudinal reinforcing rods I5, preferably welded in place at the factory in the proper position and supported by saddles 22, likewise secured in place in the beams.

I preferably form the floor proper by slab members ll, preferably pre-cast at the factory and made of any desired plastic material properly reinforced, preferably by strips of expanded metal 12, the ends of which must project from the ends of the slabs H, so that said projecting ends can be bent down into the channels as best seen in Fig. 3. I preferably use floor slabs H of such a length that, as seen in Figs. 1 and 3, their ends just reach over the flangs Ill of alternate channels l0, and at the center so that it will register with the intermediate channel which it crosses, I form the dowel hole l3. Into the space between the ends of the slabs I pour a thin plastic cementitious material 26, which fills the interior of the channels I0 and the space between the ends of the slabs to produce an unbroken floor surface. The cementitious material will flow the length of the channels I0 and when they are completely filled, it will rise through the dowel holes I3, showing that the pouring is completed, and when it hardens, it assists in holding the slabs ID in place, which is effected mainly by the cementitious material hardening in the expanded metal ends I2, thereby forming a reinforced concrete system. In this manner a very strong, yet light structure is obtained with only a fraction of the material heretofore considered essential for s such structures. The channels I0 being strong enough to support the men placing the slabs II and pouring the cementitious material 26, no form work or shores are required.

I obtain the necessary strength by forming the hollow metal beam section III, of the design shown in Fig. 3, and I have found it would be necessary for this sheet steel section to have a moment of inertia of at least 4.96 inches tothe 4th power about the neutral axis of the section. Moment of inertia of the section about the neutral axis 23 as here used is the name for a certain constant depending on the shape of the sheet steel cross-section. In practice I have found it to be desirable that sheet steel of the thickness of at least 16 guage U. S. standard, to

'be used as before stated.

In the construction of modern buildings the floor spans encountered vary from three to twenty-four feet, with floor loads varying from 50 pounds per square foot up to 500 pounds. In order'to enable this invention to be used commercially, the size of the sheet steel sections used in forming the supporting beams, should be such as to give the reenforced concrete beams enclosed thereby the required strength necessary to carry construction loads in a floor structure without the assistance of the steel channels. In practice I have found that the spacing indicated in Figs. 2 and 3 between adjacent sheet steel sections IIl may vary considerably, depending upon the depth and guage of said sections.

As illustrative of the unusual load-carrying capacity of a reinforced light-weight concrete floor, embodying the present invention, and of its remarkable strength compared to its own weight, the following data are furnished for a commercial form of the present reinforced lightweight concrete system in which the sheet steel sections I0 are shaped as illustrated in Fig. 3 and are spaced apart 36 inches on center and covered with interlocking pre-cast slabs which are connected together to form a floor panel. The sheet steel sections are 4 inches by 6 inches as shown, and the precast lightweight concrete slabs are two inches thick with extended expanded metal reinforcing I2, serving as the web and shear concrete beam reinforcing and. means of connection. The weight in pounds per square foot of the entire panel, including beams and floor, is 21 pounds, capable of carrying a safe live load of pounds per square foot, with a span of 16 feet.

For the wall construction as shown in Figs. 1, 4, 6 and 7, I secure the vertical channels I0 to the outer wall I8 of the structure by the use of metal ties 28, passed through apertures I4, formed at the sides of the channels ID, for this purpose. I preferably interpose strips of insulating material 21 between the bottoms of channels I0 and the outer wall I8, thus producing a desirable air space insulation. It will be noted that I use narrower channels I II that fit into the floor channels ID as seen in Fig. 1. The apertures I4 in the horizontal channels I0 are used to receive hooks I6 (see Fig. 1) to support metal channels and ties for furred ceilings 24. a

As the cementitious material is poured into the top of the channels III, the ends of the wall slabs I9 do not have to be separated, but meet as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. To hold the slabs I9 in place as the walls are erected and until the cementitious material sets I use at each of the intersections of the edges of the slabs I9 and the channels ID a metal clip 29, shown enlarged in Fig.. 7 and also in Figs. 1 and 4. It is made of thin sheet metal and has the lugs 30, which, when it is in place, cooperate with the flanges III, and the angular bend 3| which fits into the reentrant angle 32, (see Fig. 7), formed in one edge of the the weight of one slab is transmitted to the next where the surfaces are in contact. I designed these angles 32 and 33 so that there is a space 34 between them in the upper halves of the slabs so that said space and the V-shaped space 35 above it can be filled with mastic cement, which makes a finished surface that has no tendency to crumble, which tendency would exist in the small quantity of the material if it were made of cement only without the mastic. obtuse angles'in the ends of the reentrant angles gives a locking effect to the shape of the mastic cement and prevents relative movement of the edges of the slabs unless sufficient pressure is ap-v plied to break the mastic cement.

In Fig. 8, I have shown a preferredconstruction in which a reinforcing rod 36, bent into the clip or stirrup shape shown, is placed in the dowel hole. l3, the ends 31 being far enough apart to prevent it being pulled down through the hole. If a very heavy load is to be carried I place its bottom below the reinforced rod I5 as indicated in dotted lines. The rod 36 takes a tensile strain for which the cementitious material is inadequate.

In Fig. 9 I have shown in the figures .numbered 38, 33, 40, 4| and 42, various ornamental designs which may be used, if desired, in place of the plain section II) shown in the other figures.

While I have herein shown and described a novel monolithic structure and method of makin'g the same, I do not herein claim the method or the structure broadly, as generic claims for the same are made in my application Serial No. 171,728, filed October 29, 1937.

While I have shown and described my invention as embodied in the form and carried out by the method which I consider best adapted to secure the best and cheapest results, I do not desire to be limited in the interpretation of the following claims, except as may be necessitated by the state of the prior art.

What I. claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. As a new and useful framework for reinforced concrete building, a flooring consisting of thin horizontally disposed metal channels having their open upper sides provided with horizontal flanges and having longitudinally extending re- The use of the inforcing rods near the bottom, connected to floor slabs having their ends resting on said flanges and having reinforcing material therein with its ends projecting from the ends of said slabs and extending down into the channels on which said ends rest, said channels and slabs being permanently connected by cementitious material poured into and filling said channels, in combination with walls constructed of similar metal channels vertically disposed and registered with the flooring channels and with their open sides facing inwardly and having vertical reinforcing rods therein and connected by similar wall slabs having reinforcing material therein with its ends extending into the vertical channels, said vertical channels and wall slabs permanently connected by cementitious material poured into and filling said vertical channels, the ends of the reinforcing rods of the horizontal channels extending into the vertical channels.

2. A new and useful framework as described in claim 1 in which the vertical channels are sufficiently narrower than the horizontal channels so they may extend thereinto through the open sides of the latter.

3. In a reinforced concrete structure, the combination with thin metallic horizontal floor supporting channels having inwardly projecting flanges upon their open upper sides and reinforcing rods located in the lower portion thereof, of similar vertical wall supporting channels registering with the floor supporting channels with their open sides facing inwardly and into which the ends of the aforesaid reinforcing rods extend, reinforced floor slabs having their ends resting on the flanges of the horizontal channels with their reinforcing material projecting from said. ends and extending down into the channels, similar reinforced wall slabs with the ends of their reinforcing material extending into the vertical channels, and a continuous mass of hardened plastic material poured into and filling all of said channels and binding them and the slabs when hardened into one unitary structure.

4. In a building construction, the combination with vertical beams of sheet metal, channel shaped in cross-section and having inwardly projecting flanges on their open sides, of slabs on the open sides of the beams having reinforcing material extending from the ends thereof into the beams, the ends of the slabs meeting at said open sides, and having their side edges formed with depressions on one side cooperating with complementary surfaces on the other side, metallic clips having tongues on one end to engage the flanges and the other end shaped to extend out of the channels and fit between the cooperating edges of the slabs, and hardened plastic material filling the channels and locking the slabs to the beams, the metallic clips serving to hold the slabs in place while the plastic material is being poured and sets.

5. As a framework for monolithic structures, a flooring consisting of thin horizontally disposed metal channels having their open upper sides provided with horizontal flanges and having longitudinally extending reinforcing rods near the bottom, connected to floor slabs having their ends resting on said flanges and having reinforcing material therein with its ends projecting from the ends of said slabs and extending down into the channels on which said ends rest, said channels and slabs being permanently connected by cementitious material poured into and filling said channels, in combination with wall members constructed of similar metal channels vertically disposed and registered with the flooring channels and with their open sides facing inwardly and having vertical reinforcing rods therein, and cementitious material poured into and filling said vertical channels and surrounding the ends of the reinforcing rods of the horizontal channels which extend into the vertical channels, so that a monolithic framework is formed thereby.

6. In a building construction, the combination with beams of sheet metal having a channel shape in cross section and having apertures in their sides near the bottom, of reinforcing material connecting said beams and having its ends extended into the hollows, hardened plastic material enclosing said reinforcing material and filling the beams, hooks engaging said apertures and depending therefrom, and a furred ceiling supported from said books.

7. As a new and useful framework for reinforced concrete building, a flooring consisting of thin horizontally disposed metal channels having their open upper sides provided with horizontal flanges and having longitudinally extending reinforcing rods near the bottom extending throughout their entire length, connected to floor slabs having their ends resting on said flanges and having reinforcing material therein, with its ends projecting from the ends of said slabs and extending down into the channels on which said ends rest, in combination with walls constructed of similar metal channels vertically disposed and registered with the flooring channels and having vertical reinforcing rods therein and connected by similar wall slabs having reinforcing material therein with its ends extending into the vertical channels, the ends of the reinforcing rods of the horizontal channels extending into the vertical channels, said horizontal channels and their slabs, and said vertical channels and their slabs being permanently connected and a monolithic structure formed by cementitious material poured into and filling the channels and the spaces between the adjacent ends of the slabs where said ends are supported on the flanges of the channels.

8. A framework as described in claim 7, in which metallic clips serving to hold the vertical slabs in place while the plastic material is being poured and sets, have tongues on one end to engage the flanges of the vertical channels, and the other end is shaped to extend out of the channels and fit between cooperating edges of the slabs.

9. In a building construction, the combination with beams of sheet metal having a channel shape in cross section and having apertures in their sides near the bottom of the channels, of reinforcing material connecting said beams and having its ends extended into the channels, hardened plastic material enclosing said reinforcing material and filling the beams to form a monolithic structure, hooks in said apertures extending beyond the bottoms of the channels, and rigid wall material connected to the hooks.

- EUGENE B. WHITE. 

